Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698946775278.pdf (Uganda)
PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION ALTERNATIVE POLICY STATEMENT FOR GENDER, LABOUR AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR FOR FY 2020/21 BY HON.
ACHIRO LUCY SHADOW MINISTER FOR GENDER, LABOUR AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT March, 2020 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary …………………………………………………………………..........3 Acronyms and Abbreviations ......................................................................................... 7 1.0 Background to the Alternative Policy Statement (APS) ....................................... 8 1.1 Legal provision for presenting the APS ................................................................. 8 1.2 Sector Overview ...................................................................................................... 8 2.0 Overall diagnostic performance of the Sector .................................................... 10 2.1 Budget allocations ................................................................................................ 10 2.1.0 Inter-sectoral allocations ............................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Intra-sectoral analysis ..................................................................................... 11 2.1.2 Sector budget allocation by Vote ............................................................... 12 2.1.3 Programmes under each sector vote ......................................................... 14 2.2 Alignment of the Sector to NDP III ...................................................................... 16 2.3 Compliance to Gender and Equity ................................................................... 17 2.4 Emerging issues ..................................................................................................... 20 3.0 Alternative Policy proposals .................................................................................... 25 4.0 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 29 2 Executive Summary This Alternative Policy Statement is presented by the Shadow Minister under the authority derived from S.6 E (1), of the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act 2006.
It is in response to the Ministerial Policy Statement for the Social Development Sector for FY2020/21 presented by Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon.

Frank Tumwebaze.

In developing this Alternative Ministerial Policy Statement, analysis regarding the Ministerial Policy Statement (MPS) included projected budget allocation to the Sector, the priorities for the new Financial Year and the issues stated therein.
Aside from the Policy Statement, the analysis further considered the regulatory and policy frameworks governing Alternative Policy Statements; National Budget Framework Paper FY 2020/21 ; the Third National Development Plan (NDP III 2020/21-2024/25) ; Social Development Sector Plan (2015/16-2019/20), UBOS population projections report 2015- 2020; Report on the background to the fiscal year(2019/20) etc.
This analysis paves way for possible alternatives in line with the issues affecting the Sector and how they contribute to service delivery for the general population.
3 Sector Overview The Social Development Sector (SDS) mandate is derived under chapter 4 articles 31-40 and chapter 16 Article 246 of the Constitution to include protection and promotion of the rights of vulnerable population, to address gender inequalities, to ensure cultural growth, labour and employment as well as community mobilisation and empowerment.
Therefore through its lead agency the MGLSD, it’s able to provide decent employment and labour productivity; effective participation of communities in the development process; inclusive growth through resilience and productive capacity of the vulnerable persons; Empowerment of youth to harness their potential and increase self employment, productivity and competitiveness; Promotion of rights advocated for gender equality and equity as well as women empowerment in development process; Strengthened performance of the Social Development Sector(SDS) institutions and Readdresses imbalances and promotion of equal opportunities for all .
Situational Analysis The Social Development Sector has been allocated a total of Ugx.

183.21 bn.

for FY 2020/21.

This allocation cuts across the three Votes in the Sector which include; Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Vote: 018) having Ugx.

163.31bn.

; Equal Opportunities Commission (Vote: 124) with Ugx.

12.26 bn.

and Ugx.

7.64 bn.

allocated to Local Government (500(501-850).

The funding for FY 2020/21 to Sector represents a decrease in the budget of about Ugx.

35.99 bn.
35.99 bn.

which indicates a reduction of over 16% of the nominal allocation from Ugx.

219.2 bn.

in FY 2019/20 to Ugx.

183.21bn in FY 2020/21.

This isn’t sufficient to a Sector that has a broad mandate and continues to be under funded yet it has vulnerable groups cutting across all Sectors.

4 Key Issues i.

The budget allocation to the Sector indicates persistent cuts, yet the volume of expenditure keeps growing especially from the increasing vulnerable groups.
This is contrary to the Article 32(1) of the Constitution.

ii.

Increased youth unemployment which poses a serious threat to the Country politically, economically, and socially.

iii.

lncreased constrain on the Sector due to its broad mandate involving vulnerable groups.

iv.

Persistent sexual harassment cases in workplaces since some institutions lack policy mechanisms to address sexual harassment.

Safety and social security of migrant workers.

Budget shortfall for senior citizens grant v. vi.


Alternative Policy proposals i.

The Government of Uganda should introduce tax incentives for enterprises that avail internship placements and also create jobs for young people in the Country.

ii.

There is need to expedite the development of a National Sexual Harassment Policy which covers all Private and Government institutions.

iii.
iii.

The Social Development Sector should be restructured by reducing its statutory institutions to create efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to its marginalised and vulnerable groups.

This can be done as follows; The National Library of Uganda (NLU) should be transferred to the Ministry of Information and National Guidance because their mandate and interventions are related.
The Industrial Courts should be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs as it is in Kenya.

The Industrial Court in Kenya is integrated with 5 the traditional judiciary.

It remains a specialized Court, but removed from the Ministry of Labour to the Judiciary.

iv.

An Authority should be created to handle issues affecting migrant workers abroad.
The Ministry could borrow a leaf from Kenya which has an Authority called the National Employment Authority (NEA) which was established in April, 2016 by an Act of Parliament whose duties involve registration of employment agencies and management of foreign affairs, public employment services and internship services.

v. The Social Development Sector should be exempted from any budget cuts in accordance to the Article 32 (1) of the Constitution in order to cater for the growing numbers of vulnerable groups.
vi.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development should close the funding gap of sh45.580 billion towards SAGE.

This will enable all intended beneficiaries receive their pay on time as well as an uninterrupted national rollout of the Social Citizen Grant.

6 Acronyms and Abbreviations APS BN : Alternative Policy Statement : Billion.

EOC : Equal Opportunity Commission FY : Financial year GBV : Gender Based Violence LG : Local Government MDA : Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
MGLSD : Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development MIS : Management Information System MPS : Ministerial Policy Statement.

MoFPED : Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development NDP III : Third National Development Plan NBFP : National Budget Framework Paper OVC : Orphans and Other Vulnerable Persons SAGE : Social Assistant Grant for Empowerment.

SDS : Social development Sector SDSP : Social Development Sector Plan UGX : Uganda Shillings.

UWEP : Uganda Women Empowerment Programme.


UBOS : Uganda Bureau of Statistics YLP : Youth Livelihood Programme.

7 1.0 Background to the Alternative Policy Statement (APS) 1.1 Legal provision for presenting the APS The authority to present the Alternative Policy Statement is derived from Section 6E (2) of the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2006, which empowers Shadow Ministers to present Alternative Policy Statements on the floor of the House for consideration and possible implementation.
Section 6E (2) states that, “The Leader of Opposition (LOP) shall under subsection (1), in consultation with his or her party leadership appoint a Shadow Cabinet from members of the Opposition in Parliament with portfolios and functions that correspond to those of Cabinet Ministers.” Under section 6E (4) of the Administration of Parliament Act, 2006, “the Leader of the Opposition is mandated to study all policy statements of government with his or her Shadow Ministers and attend committee deliberations on policy issues and give their party’s views and opinions and propose possible alternatives.” In addition, Rule 146 in the Rules of Procedure, states that “the Shadow Minister shall submit their Alternative Policy Statements to Parliament by the 29th of March every year.”1 1.2 Sector Overview The Social Development Sector (SDS) is mandated under chapter 4 articles 31-40 and chapter 16 Article 246 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable population groups such as women, children, the unemployed youth, internally displaced persons, the older persons and persons with disabilities; to address gender inequalities, to ensure cultural 1 Rules of Procedure, 2017 8 growth, labour and employment as well as community mobilisation and empowerment.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) is the lead agency for this sector and is charged with the development and implementation of the Social Development Investment Plan (SDIP) with the mandate to empower communities to harness their potential through cultural growth, skills development and Labour productivity for sustainable and gender responsive development.
The Sector continues to face challenges such as; high employment rate, limited participation of women in decision-making at all levels; consistent Gender-based violence especially among women; limited participation of vulnerable groups and special interest groups in the economic, social and political development; high poverty levels; Inadequate resources and facilities for social care and support services to the vulnerable persons; poor and uncoordinated funding for community mobilization, negative mind-sets and declining cultural and moral values.
To address the above challenges, the Sector has prioritized; i. ii.

Promotion of decent employment and labour productivity; Enhanced effective participation of communities in the development process; iii.

Enhanced the resilience and productive capacity of the vulnerable persons for inclusive growth; iv.
Empowered youth to harness their potential and increase self employment, productivity and competitiveness; v. Promoted rights, advocated for gender equality and equity as well as women empowerment in development process; vi.

Strengthened the performance of the Social Development Sector(SDS) institutions; 9 vii.
Readdressed imbalances and promoted equal opportunities for all through programmes like Expanding Social Protection (ESP), Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Green Jobs, Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), Uganda Graduate Volunteer Scheme, Orphan and other vulnerable Children etc.

2.0 Overall diagnostic performance of the Sector 2.1 Budget allocations 2.1.0 Inter-sectoral allocations The total Social Development Sector budget for FY 2020/2021 is Ugx.
183.21(0.6%) billion, expected to decrease by Ugx.

35.99 bn.

from Ugx.

219.2(0.7%)billion in FY 2019/20202.

This indicates a reduction of over 16% of the nominal allocation of Ugx.

30,168.1 bn.

of the over roll national resource envelop for FY 2020/21.

Table 1: Inter sectoral allocations for the SDS (bn.)
Sectoral allocation Social Development 2019/20 % 2020/21 % 219.2 0.7% 183.2 0.6% The funding to the sector is not commensurate with the functions and the broad mandate which ranges from protection to promotion of the rights of the vulnerable children, youth, women, workers, PWDs, ethnic minorities, and Older Persons yet it continues to be the least funded sector with vulnerable groups cutting across all sectors.
2 National Budget Framework Paper FY 2020/21 10 In addition, the autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions which were established by Acts of Parliament, are supposed to be funded directly from the Consolidated Fund but get funded via the Ministry ceiling3.

This reduces on the Ministry’s resources yet the Sector requires far more resources to effectively deliver services to the target groups.
Furthermore the Sector continues to be in the 16th position alongside other sectors such as Lands, Housing and Urban Development (0.6%), Trade and Industry (0.6%), Science Technology and Innovation (0.5%) and ICT and National Guidance (0.5%).4 2.1.1 Intra-sectoral analysis In this respect, the total Sector resource envelope for FY 2020/21 is Ugx.

162.890 bn.

and is distributed as follows: Ugx.

4.050 bn for Wage; Ugx.

137.676 bn.

for Non- Wage; Ugx.

8.487 bn for GoU and Ugx.

12.674 bn.


for external financing.5 Table 2: Overview the Vote expenditure (Ugx.

billions) Budget type 2019/20 2020/21 Recurrent Wage 4.053 4.053 Non-wage 102.771 137.676 Development GoU 43.808 8.487 Ext.

Fin.
Fin.

46.686 12.674 Relative change in allocation 0.0 -34.905 -35.321 -34.012 GoU Total 150.632 150.216 0.416 Total Fin(MTEF) AIA Total GoU+Ext 197.318 162.890 -34.428 0.000 0.000 0.0 Grand Total 197.318 162.890 -34.428 3 Social Development Sector Plan (2015/16-2019/20) 4 National Budget Framework Paper FY 2020/21 5 Ministerial Policy Statement 2020/21 11 Source: MPS 2020/21 The wage component has remained at the same level for both FY 2019/20 and FY 2020/21 having Ugx.

4.053 bn.
4.053 bn.

yet the Sector is grappling with under staffing in MDAs which has hindered service delivery.

Therefore, there is need to increase the resources in the Sector to facilitate recruitment of more officers.

Under recurrent, Non-wage increased by Ugx.

34.905 bn.

from Ugx.

102.771 in FY 2019/20 to Ugx.

134.

676bn.

in FY 2020/21.

This is attributed to an increase of Ugx.

32.19 bn.

under UWEP and transfer of AIA to recurrent.


Regarding financing from Government of Uganda, there was a shortfall of Ugx.

35.321bn.

due to projects that Government hasn’t allocated money to for instance Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Fund, strengthening MSLGD.

External financing this FY 2020/21 had a decrease in the resources of Ugx.

34.012 bn.

to the Social Development sector.

This is attributed to lack of commitment from development partners.
This implies a slump in the gains to the sector’s programmes including promotion of decent employment and social protection for vulnerable groups.

2.1.2 Sector budget allocation by Vote Social Development Sector for the FY 2020/21 was given a budget allocation amounting to Ugx.

183.21 billion, of which Ugx.

163.31 billion was allocated to Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD); Ugx.

12.265 bn.

allocated to Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), and Ugx.

7.640 bn.
7.640 bn.

was allocated to Local Governments (LGs).

12 Table 3: Sector Budget resources by Vote (Ugx.
billions) Vote 018- Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development(MGLSD) 124- Equal Opportunities Commission(EOC) 500(501-850)- Local Government(LG) 122-Kampal Capital City Authority(KCCA) Total Source: MPS 2020/21 2019/20 197.318 Percentage 2020/21 Percentage Relative change -34.008 163.31 87.3% 90% 12.265 5.59% 12.265 7.11% 0.0 7.640 3.48% 7.640 4.42% 0.0 1.939 0.88% - - - 219.162 100% 183.21 98.8% -34.008 Despite overall cuts to the sector, most resources are remaining at the center with MGLSD retaining the lion’s share of Ugx.
163.31 bn.

(21%) while the LGs and EOC budgets have remained the same.

Resources have remained the same at the Local Government level where the bulk of work is concentrated yet community development officers are unable to effectively monitor Government programmes such as YLP, SAGE and UWEP due to limited staffing levels.
Furthermore, at the Local Government level, community mobilisation department face a challenge due to the scattering of mobilisation resources in various Sectors like Health, Water and Environment, Work and Transport etc.

under various initiatives such as WASH, sensitization which in turn affects planning and efficient delivery of services to communities.
13 The EOC has a mandate of ensuring compliance to equal opportunities and affirmative action in both state and non-state institutions, however the MPS FY 2020/21 indicates that EOC has a wage bill short fall of 1.7 bn.

towards staffing levels which will affect the performance of the Commission in fulfilling of its mandate.

Why KCCA wasn’t allocated any resources in FY 2020/21 since no explanation was given in the MPS?
Graph 1: Sector budget allocation by Vote (billions) 4.42% 7.11% 87.30% 018- Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development(MGLSD) 124- Equal Opportunities Commission(EOC) 500(501-850)- Local Government(LG) 2.1.3 Programmes under each sector vote Regarding the Social Development Sector, all programmes have received budget cuts in FY 2020/21.

SDS received budget cuts amounting to Ugx.

36.412 bn.

from Ugx.

199.505bn.

in FY 2019/20 to Ugx.

163.093 bn.

in FY 2020/21.


6 6 Ministerial Policy Statement FY 2020/21 14 This is unrealistic yet its these programmes have to elevate the marginalised and vulnerable groups.

The Social Protection for the vulnerable groups programme had the largest resource allocation for both FY 2019/20 and 2020/21 i.e.

Shs.

77.204 bn.

and shs.75.012 bn.


respectively with an increase of 3% since it covers the vulnerable and marginalised groups like the disabled, youth, children, equity and rights.
Table 4: Programmes under each sector vote (billion) Vote Programme 1002 1001 Community Mobilisation, Culture and Empowerment Gender , Equity and Women Empowerment Promotion of decent employment Social Protection for vulnerable groups 1004 1003 FY 2019/20 4.537 % allocation 2.27 FY 2020/21 6.442 % allocation 3.94 Relative Change 1.905 34.722 17.40 33.935 20.80 - 0.787 56.714 28.42 23.545 14.43 -33.169 77.204 38.69 75.012 45.99 -2.192 1049 General 26.328 13.19 24.160 14.81 -2.168 administration , Policy and Planning Total 199.505 100% 163.093 100% 40.221 Source: MPS 2020/21 The Promotion of decent employment programme received the highest cut of Ugx.
33.169 bn.

from Ugx.

56.714 bn.

in FY 2019/20 to Ugx.

23.545 bn.

in FY 2020/21.

These budget cuts amounting to Ugx.

30.26 bn.

are towards Strengthening Social risk Management and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response project.
15 This is impractical in addressing the concerns of the vulnerable and marginalised groups as the Social Development Sector Plan (SDSP) 2015/16-2019/20 advocates for expanding programmes to prevent and respond to Gender Based Violence.7 The Community Mobilisation, Culture and Empowerment programme is the least funded programme in the FY 2020/21 having Ugx.

6.442bn.

with an increase of Ugx.

1.905 (29%) from Ugx.

4.537bn.


in FY 2019/20 yet it’s one of the two programmes under the National Development Plan III that the Sector contributes to.

This means that the Community mobilisation and Mindset change programme isn’t prioritized yet it would be a good avenue for mobilization and changing people’s behavior for peace, stability and nation building as well as participation in national development programs.
2.2 Alignment of the Sector to NDP III In order to reduce vulnerability and gender inequality, the National Development Plan (NDP III) 2020/21-24/25 intervention included expansion of the scope and coverage of care, support and social protection services of most vulnerable groups8.
This has been done through increase in investment in social protection, encompassing the expansion of the coverage of Social Assistance Grant to the Elderly (SAGE) to all the vulnerable elders of 80 years and above, while maintaining all those already on the scheme, irrespective of their age.
The Programme has registered progress particularly in regard to social protection were about 201,168 older persons (21.62%) from 61 districts have benefited from 7 Social Development Sector Plan 2015/16-2019/20 8 National Budget Framework Paper 2020/21-24/25 16 the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) thus reducing vulnerability of older persons.
However, challenges still exist such as ; old age remains associated with poverty and vulnerability; the programme still faces social exclusion; disability grows with aging population and this stands at 2.1% among older persons (65 years and above)9.

In order to handle the challenge of social exclusion of beneficiaries in the SAGE program, Government needs to reconsider districts that don’t have beneficiaries attaining the age of 80+ so that the vulnerable group in these districts aren’t left out.
Key emerging issues in the Sector include;  Scattered community mobilization programs and funds in other MDAs such as health, education, water and sanitation, environment, agriculture among others without proper mandate and limited multi-sectoral coordination.

This sometimes overloads the Community Development officers in Local Governments.
 The sector contains many standalone Management Information Systems (MIS’) that are area specific like Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC) MIS, Gender Based Violence MIS, YLP MIS and SAGE).

There is therefore need to fast track the process of developing a Single Registry that will link all these systems.
2.3 Compliance to Gender and Equity In the Public Finance Management Act (2015), the EOC is mandated to assess and certify the inclusion and responsiveness of MDAs to gender and equity 9 National Development Plan (NDP III) 2020/21-2024/25 17 compliance in their Budget Framework Papers (BFP) and Ministerial Policy Statements (MPS) to ensure that they are gender and equity responsive.
According to EOC Gender and Equity assessment of Sector BFPs FY 2016/17 - 2020/21, the Social Development Sector continues to be the highest performing Sector out of 19 Sectors.

Its compliance level for the FY 2017/18 was 88%.

In the assessments for the Financial Year 2018/19, the sector’s compliance level increased to 90%.

This translated to a 2% increase.

In the assessment for the FY 2019/20, the Sector ‘s compliance level declined by 8% age points from 90% to 88%.
In the concluded assessments for FY 2020/21 the sector’s compliance declined by 1.8% to 86.2%.10 Table 4: Trend in gender and equity performance by SDS Sector Social Development 2017/18 88% 2018/19 90% 2019/20 88% 2020/21 86.2% Graph 2: SDS compliance to Gender and Equity 10 Report of the Budget Committee on the NBFP FY 2020/21-2024/25 18 y t i u q E d n a r e d n e G h t i w e c n a i l p m o C 91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 90% 88% 88% 86.20% 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Financial Year Issues of concern regarding Gender and equity under the Social Development sector include;  Inadequate capacity for effective participation of the marginalized in social, economic and political activities for sustainable and equitable development.11  Delay in approval of regulatory framework due to lengthy consultations because of the cross cutting and complementary nature of issues;  Changes in Policies and legal framework.
 Partial implementation of comprehensive social protection programmes for the vulnerable groups due to resources constraints;  Inadequate capacity (human, equipment and tools) for the enforcement of elimination of discrimination, marginalization, participation and to ensure that all persons have equal opportunities in accessing, benefitting and participating; 11 National Budget Framework Paper 2020/21 19  The needs of vulnerable persons are many and dynamic and vary according to age, sex, society, region and religion.
 Failure to change the mindset of the target group towards Sector programmes; 2.4 Emerging issues Increasing youth unemployment Youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems Government of Uganda has been grappling with over the years.

According to the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate for young people between 15–24 years constitutes 83% posing a serious political, economic, and social challenge to the Country and its leadership.
To date, academic institutions produce graduates whose skills do not match what the market requires.

Over 400,00012 youths are released annually into the job market to compete for approximately 9,000 available jobs.

This mismatch makes it harder to tackle youth unemployment.

Furthermore, unemployed youths continue to migrate from rural to urban areas for work, which negatively impacts on the social services sector in urban centers.
Ugandan youths shun the agricultural sector, one of the biggest employers in rural areas, preferring to work in service sector jobs like riding motorcycle taxis or as low-wage laborers in industries.
The government response has been to issue soft loans and youth grants through programmes like the Youth Livelihood Programme, National Agricultural Advisory 12 Report of Proceedings of the 49th Session of the State of the Nation Platform 20 Service, National Youth Venture Fund, among others which have been instrumental in helping across section of the youth.
Additional the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) to enhance young graduates’ employability through Uganda Graduate Volunteer Scheme (UGVS).

This project that was intended to provide a bridge for young Ugandan graduates as they transit from school to work.
It was supposed to be piloted for 2 years from 2018-2019 with a total Budget of $3,826,517 targeting 500 graduate beneficiaries in all regions annually but no assurance has been made whether the project will continue which implies that youth unemployment is going to continue rising.

Safety and social security for migrant workers Government has not prioritized interventions to address the challenges affecting migrant workers.
The migrant worker’s database hasn’t been finalized for over three years, making the tracking of workers difficult amidst increased cases of human trafficking, mistreatment and sexual abuse of workers etc.

Furthermore, the Externalization of Labour Bill 2019 remains in draft form.

Furthermore, the MGLSD has currently licensed 169 labour export agencies in Uganda and this poses a challenging in regard to monitoring and regulating of the agencies.
This is due to the merger funding allocated to “Promotion of decent Employment Program” for FY2020/21 reduced by Ugx.

44.2Bn13.

Relentless Sexual harassment cases 13 National Budget Framework Paper 2020/21 21 Sexual harassment at the work place in Uganda is a common occurrence that goes unnoticed by many and there are many incidents that are not reported to the authorities for a number of reasons such as fear of losing jobs and being vic- timized etc.

both in the formal and informal institutions.


A case study done by Youth Crime Watch Uganda on the effects of sexual harassment at the workplace indicated that out of the 1,437 respondents, two- thirds of the women were below the age of 35 years and about half of the women were low ranking employees.

Overall, about three in five women (58%) had experienced some form of sexual harassment by their employers.
Women who accepted to have sexual encoun- ters with their bosses constituted 26% and these were less likely to be fired or de- moted even if they were underperforming.

13% of the respondents were aware of the policies in their workplaces that protect individuals from sexual harassment.

Unmarried and new recruits in organizations were 36% more likely to be the target of harassers.
Though there are laws in place to address the issues of sexual harassment like the Employment Act, 2006 they fall short in effectively protecting employees.

In the Act, section 7 subsection (3) puts obligation only on employers with more than 25 employees to put in place measure to prevent or investigate sexual harassment in their workplaces.
This implies that an employer who has less than 25 employees isn’t automatically liable for not having a sexual harassment policy in place which leaves employees vulnerable.

Furthermore, the existence of many sexual harassment policies for each institution becomes hard to monitor as there are still institutions that operate without having one leaving very many employees defenceless.
22 This goes on to show the limited scope of curbing sexual harassment in employment which falls below the standards as clearly elaborated in the recently adopted Violence and Harassment Convention (No.190) at the 108th International Labour Conference14.
Budget shortfall for Senior Citizens Grant: Government committed itself to a national roll out of Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) targeting the older persons of 80 years which was to commence in January, 2020 and benefiting 204,771 beneficiaries but according to the MPS 2020/21 SAGE remains under the unfunded programme15.

The total cost of implementing a national roll-out was estimated at 142.46 billion, of which Government of Uganda is expected to provide 108.46 bn.
while Development Partners provide Shs.

34.00 billion for FY2020/21.

However, Government has maintained the allocation to the sector at 62.88 bn.

leaving a funding gap of 45.580 bn.

yet Social Protection is a key pillar in achieving the Vision 2040 as a pathway for reducing poverty and inequality in the country16.
Persistent budget cuts to Social Development sector The Social Development sector has continued to experience budget cuts yet the number of marginalised groups keeps increasing every year with the creation of new districts17.
This is despite the provision of article 32(1) of the Constitution which states that “Not withstanding anything in this Constitution, the state shall take affirmative action in favour of groups marginalised on the basis of gender, age, disability or 14 Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 15 Report of the committee of Gender, Labour and Social Development on the NBFP FY 2020/21 16 Ministerial Policy Statement FY 2020/21 17 Report of the committee of Gender, Labour and Social Development on the NBFP FY 2020/21 23 any other reason created by history, tradition or custom, for the purpose of readdressing imbalances which exist against them.
For FY 2020/21, the Sector is estimated at Ugx.

183.21 billion a reduction by Ugx.

35.99 bn.

from Ugx.

219.2 billion in FY 2019/2020.

The budget cuts indicate lack of appreciation for the importance of the SDS to the overall development of the Nation and delay in attainment of the objectives in NDP III.
Increased constrain on the Sector The Social Development Sector under its agency MGLSD is constrained due it’s a broad mandate with multiple and diverse actors such as National Women’s Council, National Children Authority, National Youth Council, National Council for Older Persons, Uganda National Cultural Centre, National Library of Uganda, National Council for Disability and Industrial Court delivering services with minimal linkages.
Furthermore, Actors in this Sector have continued to register challenges such as delay in disbursement of resources since they are being controlled from the main Ministry.

In the end this has caused delays in coordination of efficient and effective activities as well as resource utilization which hinders service delivery to the intended groups.
24 3.1 Alternative Policy proposals The Government of Uganda should introduce tax incentives for enterprises that avail internship placements and also create jobs for young people in the country.

18 In 2008, this idea was raised by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development but its implementation process hasn’t taken off.

It is common knowledge that many Youth in our country have failed to become gainfully employed in the formal sector because of their lack of requisite work experience.
Many young people at various universities in the Country are finding it increasingly difficult to get internship placements with organizations operating in the country.

This is because such employers are at liberty to reject or accept their internship applications.

Some of these companies argue that they do not possess sufficient funds to run such internship programs.

The result is that many young people are denied the opportunity of having hands on training in their various fields of study.
It is on this basis that the Government of Uganda through bodies such as the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) should introduces tax incentives for enterprises which create jobs for young people and those that have internship programs targeting this age group.

18 A paper on the challenges of youth unemployment in Uganda by the Young Leaders Think Tank for Policy Alternatives.
25 Furthermore, part of the money allotted for Youth Livelihood Programme could be channeled to the private sector for this special purpose of training youth.

This move would encourage more employers to be involved in progressive programs aimed at dealing with the problem of youth unemployment and also give young people the opportunity to become gainfully employed.

This is how we can develop a workforce which is productive for national development.
There is need to expedite development of a National Sexual harassment policy which covers all private and Government institutions.
This will include; Procedure through which an employee can file a complaint on sexual harassment; emphasis on full confidentiality to prevent an address retaliation that could arise from reporting cases of sexual harassment ; following up with an investigation of all reports should be imperative once submitted.19 The Social Development Sector should be restructured by reducing its statutory institutions to create efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to its marginalised and vulnerable groups.
This can be done as follows; The National Library of Uganda (NLU) should be under the Ministry of Information and National Guidance because their mandate and interventions are related.

The Industrial Courts should be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs whose mandate is to provide legal advice and legal services as well as supporting the machinery that provides the legal framework for good governance as it is in Kenya.
The Industrial Court in Kenya is integrated with the traditional judiciary.

It remains a specialized Court, but removed from the Ministry of Labour to the Judiciary.

19 Alternative Policy Statement FY 2019/20 26 There is need to create an Authority to handle issues affecting migrant workers abroad.
Government took up recommendations that were made by the Ministry of Public service, which included the merge of agencies so as to get rid of money- consuming units while strengthening cash generating ones which puts the recommendation of an Authority to handle externalisation of labour into perspective20.

Projections indicate that the annual remittance flows to Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) are likely to reach $550 billion and $574 billion in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
In that regard, it would make remittance flows move higher than Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows to LMICs.

Estimates indicate that remittance flows to LMICs reached $529 billion in 2018, representing an increase of 9.6 % from $483 bn.

in 201721.
in 201721.

This implies that the Authority will not only be a money generating unit but will also focus on handling issues relating to migrant workers abroad like allegations of extortion, human trafficking, violation of labour immigrants’ rights and irregular recruitment.

Since we already have other councils catering for the older persons, disabled, children, women, youth there is none for migrant workers yet they face so many challenges.
20 2018 report on Public Service review and rationalization of government agencies.

21 Background to the Budget Fiscal year 2019/20(MoFPED) 27 Government could borrow a leaf from Kenya which has an Authority called the National Employment Authority (NEA) which was established in April, 2016 by an Act of Parliament whose duties involve registration of employment agencies and management of foreign affairs, public employment services and internship services.

Since Government is seeking to have Ugx.


5 billion injected annually in a one stop Center which comprises of all government agencies that handle clearance and support system towards migrant workers through capturing and analyzing real- time data on workers who leave and return to Uganda, instead that money should be injected in an Authority because it will be more effective.
The Social Development sector should be exempted from any budget cuts in accordance with article 32(1) of the Constitution in order to cater for the growing numbers of vulnerable and marginalised groups due to creation of new districts.22 The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development should close the funding gap of sh45.580 billion towards SAGE.

This will enable all intended beneficiaries receive their pay on time as well as an uninterrupted national rollout of the Social Citizen Grant.
22 A report of the Committee of Gender, Labour and Social Development on the NBFP 2020/21 28 4.0 Conclusion The crucial role played by the Social Development Sector in strengthening community resilience, enhancing their civic responsibility for improved governance through promoting the rights of the vulnerable persons and catalyzing communities’ participation in wealth creation is recognized.
The acknowledgement of this role has however not been supported by adequate government prioritization in resource allocation over the years.

The sector remains among the least funded.

Without proper resourcing for this sector the country runs a risk of achieving superficial development that increases existing inequalities and excludes the most vulnerable and marginalized citizens.

It is essential that no citizen is left behind as the Country realizes its vision.

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